It is known to use a suture anchor of the sort having a transverse bore extending through a proximal portion thereof so as to facilitate attachment of the suture to the anchor. It is also known to use, in combination with the suture anchor, an inserter having a lengthwise bore extending therethrough and through which may extend the suture which is attached to the suture anchor. Such a combination is shown and described, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,411,506, issued May 2, 1995 to Goble et al. for ANCHOR DRIVER, which patent is assigned to the assignee of the present patent application, and which patent is hereby incorporated herein by reference. See also U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/514,613, filed Aug. 14, 1995 by Goble et al. for SUTURE ANCHOR ASSEMBLY, which patent application is also assigned to the assignee of the present patent application, and which patent application is also hereby incorporated herein by reference.
Before using the suture anchor and inserter to attach suture to a bone, the suture must be threaded through the transverse bore of the suture anchor and through the lengthwise bore of the inserter. Typically, the suture anchor's transverse bore is relatively short and the inserter's lengthwise bore is relatively long, thereby requiring different threader configurations. By way of example, an ordinary needle threader may be used to thread the suture through the suture anchor's transverse bore, whereas a crochet-hook type of threader may be used to thread the suture through the inserter's lengthwise bore.
In situations where the suture is to be threaded through the suture anchor and the inserter during initial manufacture, it may not be inconvenient for the manufacturer to use different threaders for threading the suture through the suture anchor and the inserter. However, where the suture is to be threaded through the suture anchor and inserter at the time of use, i.e., in the operating room, it can be undesirable for the operating room personnel to use different threaders for threading the suture through the suture anchor and through the inserter. Thus, it is deemed beneficial to have available a single threader which is adapted to thread suture through both (i) relatively short bores, such as those found in a suture anchor, and (ii) relatively long bores, such as those found in an inserter.